The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Colorado Mesa University have partnered to host a series of focused outreach meetings that will take place in July.
This meetings work to engage the public while also including local leaders, visitors, residents, and business owners that participate in outdoor activities or have a stake in the quality of experience for those that do recreate on BLM managed lands, particularly around the San Rafael Swell.
This outreach effort aims to provide the BLM with the public’s opinions, perceptions, attitudes and preferences in regard to the management of the landscape as a public outdoor recreation area.
The outreach will be an interactive group setting in which participants will be encouraged to speak openly and answer questions regarding the quality of outdoor recreation in the area, interest and expectations in regard to recreation, and management priorities.
These questions, and more like them, give the BLM a better understanding of expectations and desires of the public when it comes to managing public lands that are administered by the bureau’s Price Field Office.
Dr. Tim Casey, who is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Natural Resources Center at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, will facilitate the meetings. The sessions are slated for 90 minutes each and all are invited to join and contribute.
Beginning on July 19, a meeting will be hosted at the John Wesley Powell River History Museum located on Green River’s Main Street at 10 a.m. Two meetings will be hosted in the Swell Conference Room in Castle Dale, including July 19 at 7 p.m. and July 20 at 10 a.m. The final meeting is set to take place at the Carbon County Recreation Building in Price on July 20 at 7 p.m.
More information on the outreach meetings and a link to the digital focus groups can be found by contacting Dr. Casey at (970) 248-1095 or at nrc@coloradomesa.edu.